A Good Sacrifice
by angel85qcca
Summary: Emily doesn't know who to turn to after she finds out she is pregnant. But when someone offers you the answer to your every prayer, why should you turn it down?
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: This story takes place right after the episode **_**Hungary Heart, **_**after Emily finds out about being pregnant. Take a short flight across the Atlantic, and voilà!**

_A good sacrifice is one that is not necessarily sound but leaves your opponent dazed and confused._ – Nigel Short

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><p>Emily didn't know who to turn to. Her world had been turned upside down, and for once, she could only blame herself. It wasn't her mother's fault, or one of her many boyfriends' fault, or even the NGO's fault. It was all her, and her stupid teenage hormones, and her poor decision making skills. Well, maybe that one was partly her mother's fault.<p>

She had friends, but even without calling them, she knew what they'd say. Payson would tell her to focus on her gymnastics, to not lose sight of the dream she's had for as long as she could remember. Kaylie would never tell her what to do, and while that was usually one of the things she loved about her, it wouldn't work tonight. She needed someone to tell her how to make this decision, someone who wouldn't bullshit her, but would also listen to her give her side of the story. She had no idea what Lauren would say, but she didn't consider her a friend. Besides, Lauren would probably end up blackmailing her, scared that this would somehow screw up her perfect life. What this had to do with Lauren, Emily didn't know, but she always found a way to make it about her.

Emily was hit by a stroke of genius, and quickly pulled out her phone and dialled.

"Emily, hey, you're back!" said the male voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah," she said in a soft, shaky voice.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I..." she started, but she couldn't form the words.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm at the park near my house," she managed to say, but not without some difficulty. She was starting to hyperventilate.

"Ok, I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes, ok? Don't move."

He hung up, and Emily was left in the silent darkness of the park.

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><p>He was in his car even before he had hung up with Emily. He'd considered taking his motorcycle, but if she was upset and needed to go somewhere, it wasn't a good idea. He broke the speed limits getting there, but he barely noticed how fast he was driving, too concerned about his friend. He started making up worst case scenarios until he remembered who he was thinking about. Emily had a tendency to make things seem worse than they are, to make a mountain out of every little thing. She saw things in black and white, right and wrong, and while he liked her righteousness, it often meant drama.<p>

When he arrived at the park, though, he clearly saw her distress. She was sitting on a bench, her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She looked up at him when he arrived, and even with the poor lighting he saw the tears on her face. The expression of agony she wore broke his heart. He knew instantly this wasn't her usual drama. Something had happened, something that was going to change the course of her life.

He sat down next to her slowly so as not to spook her, and started running his hand in circles over her back.

"Austin," she started saying, and then broke down in sobs. He quickly gathered her in his arms, and she hung onto him tightly, crying in his chest.

"Shhhh, it's okay, I'm here. It's okay, Emily, whatever it is, I'll fix it." He continued to whisper words of comfort to her, and after a while, she calmed down enough to pull away.

She wiped the tears off her face, and he found a tissue in his pocket and handed it to her. Her breathing was still harsh , but overall she seemed to have better controlled herself . The alpha male in him demanded to know what was wrong, demanded to know who had hurt her this way, and it demanded to know right away so he could fix it.

But he told himself to be patient, and he applied one of his father's many wisdoms: when a woman is upset, she just wants to be listened to. He'd made that mistake when they were in Denver. Instead of being the shoulder he told Emily she could lean on, he'd tried to get her to see how wrong she was. He had to admit, in hindsight, that if he'd been in her situation he would have probably reacted the way she had.

"I screwed up," she said without preamble. "And now Damon's gone, and I don't know how to fix it. This one's all my fault, and I know you said I don't take responsibility for my actions, but this time, I do. I know it was all me, but I just, I don't know what to do." She started to get upset again, so she took a deep breath. She really looked at Austin for the first time since he arrived, and she saw nothing but compassion on his face. For some reason, it only made her want to cry again.

"Is this about what happened in Hungary? You made one mistake, Emily. That coach shouldn't have pulled you."

She shook her head. "No, this is worse than that, so much worse..." She took a deep breath, and then looked back down at her hands and closed her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Austin's jaw dropped, and he had to remind himself to breathe. He'd been right after all, this was worse than any of her other drama. It would definitely turn her life upside down, not to mention her career.

"When did you find out?" he finally asked. She still hadn't looked up at him again.

"After the meet. They drug-tested us, and it showed up in my results. Sasha was with me when I found out. He said... he said he'd give me 24 hours to tell the father." She laughed ironically.

"Well, where is he?"

"I broke up with Damon before leaving for the meet. I was jealous of him and Kaylie because they get to spend so much time together, and he said that they were just friends, but it was messing with my head. And I wanted to concentrate on my career, I was ready to let it go this time, really ready, you know?" She finally turned, and he saw that tears had started forming in her eyes again. "And then the minute I got back I went to his apartment, but all of his stuff was gone. All of it. And Kaylie told me he said goodbye yesterday, but he didn't want to tell her where he was going because he didn't want anything to do with me anymore. And I tried his cell phone, but his number was disconnected."

_Who does that?_ Austin thought, but then he remembered that Damon was an artist, and they had a reputation for drama, too.

"So now I have to tell my Mom, and the NGO, that I'm going to have a baby because I was too impatient to have sex with my boyfriend before I wasn't allowed to see him anymore. And my career will be ruined, and don't ask me how the hell I'm going to support this baby because I have no idea."

She leaned back on the bench, and looked up at the sky. Austin took a deep breath, trying to process everything she had just told him. He took her small hand in his and looked up as well. The clear night reminded him of why he loved Boulder, the small city's artificial lights weren't so numerous they outshined all the stars. He could see some of them, the brighter ones at least, and he made out the big dipper right above them.

Emily felt much calmer now that Austin had arrived. She didn't know what she thought would happen when she called him, but he seemed to be the only person she could turn to, the only one she could lean on. He was a strong person, and not just physically, that much she knew after meeting him only a few times. It took a lot of strength and dedication to get to the Olympics, and while he liked to look like a frivolous party boy, she knew better. He knew what it took to get to the top, to be the best, and she admired the balance he had in his life. He worked hard, and he knew how to have fun, but he never got distracted. It was something she had never accomplished, but something she had always strived for. She didn't want to be like Kaylie and Payson, all work and no play, or like Lauren, all play and all talent, but no discipline. She knew there was a middle ground somewhere, and Austin seemed to have found it.

The warmth of his hand in hers comforted her. He was tall, strong, and solid next to her, and while she was a self-proclaimed feminist, she had to admit it was nice to have a man beside her, supporting her.

All of a sudden, he took his hand away from her and turned on the bench to face her. She could feel he had something to tell her, and she turned too, mimicking his position. She braced herself for a lecture, but what she saw in his eyes wasn't judgement or contempt.

"I'll be your baby's father," he declared.

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><p><strong>Did you like it? Did you hate it? Let me know!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: I'm a bad, bad author! I forgot to thank my beta, JacksonMiracle, for her amazing work, encouragement and insightful comments. If there are mistakes in this chapter it's because I fiddled with it after she gave it back to me.**

**Enjoy the second chapter!**

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><p>"I'll be your baby's father," Austin declared.<p>

Emily was taken aback, to say the least. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out. A part of her brain was screaming _it's crazy_, while the other part of her thought it was the answer to her every prayer.

"Listen to me before you say something," he said, and she was saved from replying for the moment. "I know you, Emily. The minute you found out about this baby, you started loving it. You could never get an abortion, and you could never give it up for adoption."

She couldn't deny that he was right. She'd considered an abortion for about a minute, but the thought of it had made her sick to her stomach. She hadn't even considered adoption, knowing she'd be unable to let someone take away her baby after having carried it for nine months.

"I have money, and I can give this baby a good life. It would have a father around, even if you and I aren't together. I know it's not ideal, but it's better than having no father at all, right? I would be there for you anyway, but this way, I can really support you. You'd have nothing to worry about, and I promise you, once I'm committed to this, that's it, there's no going back. It's forever. And I know I could be a good dad."

Emily finally got her speech ability back. "Austin, this is crazy. You can't do this." Okay, so maybe she could speak, but she wasn't entirely coherent yet.

"Why not? Tell me why not."

"Well, your career, for one."

He shook his head. "It's not my figure this baby is going to be ruining. I'll still train, I'll still compete. It won't change anything."

"What about your parents?"

"They'll support me."

"They'll support you claiming a baby that's not yours?"

"Well, I wouldn't tell them it's not mine!"

"What? No, Austin, come on! You can't lie to them like that!"

"Emily, if this is going to work, everyone has to think this is really my baby. If not, everyone is going to waste their time convincing us that we shouldn't do this. No one can know."

"Who is going to believe that we slept together?"

"Well, no one is going to doubt that I would want to sleep with you. You're beautiful, Emily, and everyone knows we're friends. And we can say... we can say you and Damon broke up, and you were upset, and I was there. And it happened before you signed the contract with the NGO, so you didn't do anything wrong."

"Payson knows that I slept with Damon. I told her after it happened."

"So, we'll just tell her you were ashamed to tell her you'd slept with me instead of the guy you're in love with."

"And how long would you be willing to do this? For a year, maybe two?"

"No, Emily, I told you, if I decide this then that's it for me, it's for life. Besides, it's not like I'd leave you if we broke up because we're not even together! Just two friends, raising a baby."

She shook her head. He had an answer for everything, and she wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that he'd do everything he said he would, that he'd be a father to her baby, that he'd support her financially, that he'd lie to all their friends and family.

"What about Kaylie?" she said softly. It was her last objection, but not the biggest one. Kaylie was her friend, but if she had to sacrifice that friendship for her baby, she'd do it in a heartbeat. But she didn't know how Austin felt.

Austin liked Kaylie, he really did, and he meant it when he said he could fall in love with her. But she was messed up, and she needed time to recover from her disease, time away from him. And this baby was more important than any potential relationship he could ever have in the future with her. "Kaylie needs to concentrate on her recovery. I like her, but we can't be together. Not now, and not for a long time."

Austin looked in her eyes and saw that she was starting to believe him, starting to consider his proposition. The more he thought about it, the more confident he was that this was the best thing to do, the right thing to do. Besides, he always knew he wanted kids. This wasn't exactly the way he wanted it to happen, but he could deal with that.

"Okay, let's say we do this. What happens next?" Emily finally said.

Austin took a deep breath. "We tell my parents, and then your mom. Or, you know, vice versa. But I know my parents are going to be supportive, so it might be easier to start there. And then, I guess we take this to Sasha and the NGO, and see what they have to say."

Emily took a deep breath. "Okay. Are you sure, though?"

He smiled, and took her hand in his, making sure to look in her eyes as he told her his answer. "I'm sure, Emily. I want to do this with you."

And so, faster than he could pull off 3 front loops and a double scissor on the pommel horse, Austin became the father of her baby.

"We should go tell my parents." Austin declared.

"What, right now?"

"No time like the present. Besides, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can make all kinds of other decisions."

"It's all happening really fast, Austin. And God, your parents are going to hate me!"

He smiled. "They're not going to hate you. They're hippies, remember? They love everybody."

He got up and held his hand out to her. She admired his confidence, and told herself it was okay to rely on him, on his faith that it would all work out. She took his hand and he led her to his car. The drive to his parents' house was silent but he held her hand the whole time and shot her the occasional reassuring smile. She wondered for a minute how he could be so calm about this, but there were too many thoughts running around in her head for her to settle on one for too long.

The one thing she kept coming back to was Austin. She had picked his name from the list of contacts on her cell phone because she knew she could count on him to listen and support her. She thought of him as a good friend who saw her qualities as well as her faults. She had called him for comfort and advice and somehow he had ended up becoming the father of her baby. She had been scared of telling Damien about being pregnant because she knew that he wouldn't react well. A baby didn't factor into his plans for the immediate future, and his music career was all he seemed to think about. She wondered how he would react now if he knew Austin had decided to claim this baby. Would he be upset or relieved?

Austin's warm hand in hers was a reminder that she didn't have to find out about Damien's reaction unless she absolutely wanted to. She knew there were people she could call to find out where Damien was, and Razor was only one of them. But Austin's offer gave her a choice she didn't think she had. Her baby could have a good life, a good education and the stability she always craved when she was little, stability that only money could buy. She was too independent to rely completely on Austin to provide for her and her baby but she could learn to accept his help, especially where her baby's well-being was concerned.

They arrived quickly and before they could get out of the car, she stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.

"Austin? I know you said that we couldn't tell everybody that you're not really the father, but I want an exception."

He scratched the top of his head, wondering what she was going to come up with. "Okay, what is it?"

"I want to tell the doctor. So, you know, if something happens to the baby, then he'd know."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, of course. And the doctor can't say anything, so it won't be a problem."

"Thank you," she said, looking at him.

"I'd never do anything that could harm the baby," he answered.

She shook her head vividly. "No, I mean, thank you. For all this. I don't know how I could ever repay you, but I'll be eternally grateful."

"You're welcome. It'll all work out, you'll see."

They walked inside the large home hand in hand, and found his parents in the living room. She'd been at his house before, of course, when he'd had that party, but she hadn't really seen the inside. For hippies who used to live in a van, the outside of the house was very luxurious. His parents were dressed casually, however, and when she looked around she noticed that the furniture wasn't high end, or antiques. It wasn't cheap, either, but looked more like old pieces that had been restored and given a second life. It felt homey and lived in, not at all what she expected before she walked in. It was certainly at odds with the lavish exterior of the house.

Austin introduced her to his parents, Amy and Jack, and then asked if they could speak to them. Amy, sensing that it was serious, offered to make some tea. They all discussed gymnastics in the mean time, and Emily was embarrassed to find out that they'd also watched the meet in Hungary with Austin. They all seemed to agree, however, that the coach shouldn't have pulled her after only one mistake, especially since her floor routine was so strong. Their opinion made her feel a little better.

Amy brought in the tea, and Emily gratefully took a sip from the small cup she was handed. It wasn't her beverage of choice, but it warmed her insides and that, along with Austin's presence next to her, made her feel more confident.

"So, we have some big news," Austin said as a preamble. "And I know you guys are cool, but I really need you to stay calm, please."

Amy and Jack gave each other a look, and Austin's mother gave them a genuine smile. "Of course, baby," she said, and Emily smiled at the use of the nickname.

Austin looked at Emily, and she nodded that it was okay to for him to continue. "Emily is pregnant, and I'm the father."

His father sighed and ran a hand down his face, and his mother took it when he put it down on his lap.

"Well, congratulations!" she said.

Emily was a little taken aback by their reaction. She'd expected anything but that, even though Austin had warned her. Seeing them so calm made her feel bad that they were lying to them about Austin's paternity. "That's it? Just congratulations?" She asked

Amy smiled. "I'm sure you don't need a lecture at this point. Either of you." She looked back and forth between Emily and Austin. "Have you thought about what you might do, what your options are?"

Austin squeezed her hand. "I'm having the baby, and I'm keeping it," Emily declared. Saying it out loud felt right, and she knew she'd made the best decision.

Austin looked at his father. "Dad? Any thoughts?"

"This certainly changes a lot of things," he started. "Both your careers will be affected by this, if nothing else. But your mother and I will support you, both of you, through this. Emily, what do your parents think of this?"

"Well, my Dad's not around, and I haven't told my mother yet. I only found out today, and I wanted to tell Austin first." Emily hesitated before continuing. "Sasha knows, though."

Jack nodded. "Well, we'd love to meet your mother sometime soon." Amy agreed.

"We should probably go over there now," Austin said, and Emily felt a knot in her stomach. She'd been taking things one step at a time since she and Austin had made the decision to do this together, but this step scared her, maybe more than any other they would have to take.

Austin's parents hugged her before they left, and offered their congratulations again. Emily was a little jealous of the close relationship Austin seemed to have with his parents. Even though they were hippies, they seemed like strong, dependable people, and she could easily see how their influence had rubbed off on their son.

Again, they rode in silence as they made their way to her house. Judging by their car in the driveway, her mother was home, which was unusual since she had started working at the club at night.

Austin didn't offer any words of comfort or encouragement and she was glad because she didn't think anything he would say could make this easier.

Emily took a deep breath before she opened the door. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, going over the bills. Her brother was sitting next to her, working on his computer. They both looked up as she came in.

"Hey Emily! Look, I'm paying the bills! Aren't you..." She stopped when she saw Austin. "Well, hello, there! Emily, you know you're not supposed to..." Emily interrupted her.

"Mom, can we talk to you?" Emily hated that she sounded so weak.

"I'll go to my room," Brian said, and wheeled himself inside, but not before sending Emily an interrogating look.

When the door closed, Emily's mind went blank. She didn't know where to start, how to disappoint her mother in this way and destroy all the hopes and dreams she had for her daughter.

"Hi, I'm Austin Tucker." He held out his hand and Chloe got up and shook it.

"Chloe Kmetko, Emily's mother," she said with a wide, fake smile. Emily hated that smile.

"Why don't we sit down," Austin suggested, as they all took a place around the kitchen table.

Emily took a deep breath. "Mom, I'm pregnant," she blurted out. She hadn't had the intention of breaking it to her that way, but being blunt always worked best with her mother.

"You're..." she started, then looked at Austin, "and you're..."

He nodded. "Yes, I'm the father."

"How could you do this to my daughter!" Chloe shrieked.

"Mom! It's not Austin's fault, okay, it just happened!"

Chloe ignored her. "The other Rock Moms warned me about you, about your reputation, but I thought _my Emily, she doesn't go for guys like that, she's smarter than that_, and now..."

"Mom, stop! I made the decision to sleep with him."

She finally turned her attention back to her daughter. "And what, you didn't think to use protection? Emily, I thought you knew better than that!"

She was receiving the lecture that his parents hadn't given them, and Austin felt bad for her. It wasn't like it was going to change anything at this point.

"We used protection, Mom! I don't know how it happened, it just did." Emily's hands were starting to shake, but he didn't feel comfortable holding them in front of her mother. He thought it interesting that she and Damon had used protection, though. He hadn't asked, but he'd assumed as well that they hadn't.

"You shouldn't have even been having sex in the first place!"

Austin had had enough. "With all due respect, Mrs. Kmetko..."

She interrupted him. "Chloe."

He took a deep breath, and started again. "With all due respect, Chloe, I don't think yelling at Emily is going to change anything. We both know we shouldn't have done what we did, but it's over now and we're ready to deal with the consequences."

She seemed to calm down at that, and took a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "What does that mean exactly, deal with the consequences?"

It was Emily that answered. "I've decided to keep the baby, Mom."

Chloe shook her head. "No, Emily, we should take more time to think about this. It's a really big decision, and you need to think about your career!"

"I've made up my mind, Mom. I'm not having an abortion."

"It's a small mishap, honey, it doesn't mean it has to be the end of everything!"

"Actually," Austin started, "many gymnasts have gone on to continue gymnastics after having a baby."

Emily's head snapped to look at him, her eyes full of hope. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, and they weren't as young as you."

"Well, the NGO is already on her back," Chloe continued, "do you really think they'll let her come back after this? No, Emily, if we take care of this, they never have to know!"

"You didn't give me up when you found out you were pregnant!"

"I didn't have half the talent you had, or the opportunities, Emily! Don't be like me, be better!"

Emily winced. "So what, your life would have been better if you hadn't had me, is that what you're saying?"

"No! I just meant that..."

Emily interrupted her. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mom, but my decision is made."

Emily was glad they'd gone to Austin's parents first, because if they hadn't, she might have backed out. Seeing how little support she was getting from her own mother made her question her decision. Well, not so much her decision as her ability to carry it out. But with Austin there, beside her, and his parents' support fresh on her mind, she felt she had the strength necessary to stand up to her mother.

Chloe ran a hand through her hair, looking defeated. "Fine, do whatever you want. If you're old enough to have sex, you can decide what you want to do." She sighed. "I'll support you."

Austin thought it sounded forced, but the look in her eyes told him she meant it.

"Thank you," he said for Emily. To him, she looked exhausted. "This is a lot to take in for one night, I think we should rest and pick this back up tomorrow."

They all agreed, and Austin left. Emily started feeling anxious again, and wondered if he would change his mind by the time he woke up the next morning. She said goodnight to her mother, but she followed her into her bedroom. Emily sighed.

"What happened with Damon, Emily?"

"You know we broke up, Mom. We had to because of the contract."

"I know, but how did you go from breaking up with Damon to sleeping with this boy?"

"His name's Austin, Mom. And I was upset, and he's my friend. It just happened." She faked picking up her clothes around her room so she wouldn't have to look her mother in the eye when she lied to her. Not for the first time in her life, she cursed her mother's nosiness.

"I'm sorry, Emily, I just don't see it. I can't imagine you jumping into bed with some friend just because you're upset."

"You want me to draw you a picture? You want me to tell you what it was like, the sounds he made, or how big his dick is?" She'd never been so crude with her mother, or with anyone, for that matter. But she didn't know of any other way to get her mother to leave her alone.

"Emily!" Chloe squealed, offended.

"Well, does it help you imagine it?"

"Fine, fine, you've made your point. We'll talk some more tomorrow."

When Emily finally got into bed, she fell asleep immediately. While she had a lot on her mind, her body completely shut down and demanded rest. She was jet lagged from the flight from Hungary and utterly exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster she'd been on during the past 24 hours.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: I've been spoiling you guys. I already had the first three chapters written, so it went much faster. You'll probably get an update a week from now on. Enjoy the third chapter!**

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><p>The next morning, when she woke up, her mother had already left for her shift at the salon. Her brother was sitting at the table, eating breakfast. His transport for school wasn't for another half-hour, and she had nowhere to be since Sasha didn't want her training until she had seen the doctor.<p>

"So, I'm going to be an uncle, huh?" Her brother said without preamble.

"I guess you heard everything." Emily confirmed.

He shrugged. "Couldn't really help it. What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

"Well, are you going to move out?"

"I don't know. I don't think there's really room for a baby here, though. So yeah, probably."

She made herself some toast and prepared for more questions, but none came. She was disconcerted by her brother's silence, but she told herself to give him time to process everything.

After her breakfast, Sasha called and asked her to meet him after practise that afternoon with her mother. He told her that Austin had come in that morning and had told him he was the father of her baby. She was glad she didn't have to announce it to him herself, and she was relieved that Austin hadn't changed his mind.

She spent the rest of the day online, looking upgymnasts who went back to the sport after a pregnancy. She was impressed with how many there were, and signed up at a forum for gymnast mothers. Most of the ladies there seemed to be coaches, but she hoped to find a few girls in her position that way.

Her mother picked her up right before dinnertime for the big meeting with Sasha. . They had all agreed to have the meeting at Austin's parents' house, since the gym didn't have much space or privacy.

When they arrived, Chloe parked the car, got out, and whistled. "Wow, now that's what I call a house!"

"Mom," Emily admonished, embarrassed.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me you're not impressed!"

Emily rolled her eyes, and saw that Sasha's car was already there, as well as Austin's. That meant they were the last ones, and Emily was fine with that. She didn't want to sit there and make chit chat with everyone while they waited for people to arrive.

Austin's parents greeted her with hugs again, and they hugged her mother as well. They all moved to the living room, and the atmosphere was a lot more at ease than Emily thought it would be.

"So, Emily," Sasha started, "I heard that you decided to keep the baby?"

Emily nodded. "That's what I've decided. What we've decided," she added, looking at Austin. She wished they'd had a little time alone together before this meeting so he could have reassured her.

"Okay, well, I spoke with the NGO, and they have suspended you, effective immediately. I'm sorry." Her coach looked at her with compassion, and she was glad he had come back to be their coach again. If she was going to be dealing with this, she was happy that it was him.

"It's not really a surprise," Emily declared. "I understand."

Sasha continued. "You can keep training at the Rock, though, as long as your doctor says it's okay. It'll be easier to get back into shape after the baby comes, if you decide to go back to training, that is. If I'd been your coach, then you would have been breaking my rules, and I would have kicked you out. But I wasn't there; I left you girls, and I take responsibility for that. And I'm not technically Austin's coach either, so I'm not going to kick him out." He took a pause. "Emily, I can't promise you'll ever get back to the level you are at right now, though."

Emily nodded. She knew all that, but she was determined to do everything she could to still be a professional gymnast after she had the baby.

Sasha left not too long after that, leaving the two families alone together to get to know each other, and to continue making the decisions that were necessary.

Austin's father took the floor. "I hope you don't get too overwhelmed by this, Emily, but Amy and I have a proposition for you. Now, first of all, I want to say that I know your mother's financial situation is different from mine."

He'd said _mine,_ not _ours_, like he had his own money. "Wait a second," Emily said, "I thought you lived in a van for three months?"

Austin laughed. "Yeah, we did, but not out of necessity."

Jack smiled. "We were never into material things, Amy and I, and we try to instil that in our children. However, I have more than enough money. I never have to work again if I don't want to." Chloe gasped. "My family made a lot of money during the oil boom, and they were always careful with their investments after that. I'm an only son, and after I finally convinced my father I wasn't interested in the family business, he sold it. He passed away only a year after that, unfortunately, so I inherited everything."

"Wow," Chloe said. "So what do you do, if you don't have to work?"

"We volunteer quite a bit," Amy said, "and Jack is very good with his hands."

"He went to New Orleans for six months after Katrina to help rebuild houses," Austin added, obviously proud.

"I can't even hang a picture straight," Chloe said in self-derision.

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say," Jack continued, "is that we're not trying to buy you or anything like that, but if we can help financially, we want to. Now, Austin has his own money, and since he's 18 he can use it however he wishes, and he will take his share of financial responsibility for this. But we'd like to offer to let you to move into our guest house, free of charge. Also, since we're a little bit outside of town, you'd need a car. A friend of mine owns a used car dealership a few towns over, and he would give us a good price."

"I want to work, and make my own money," Emily said. "I don't want to be financially dependent on anybody."

"I knew you'd say that," Austin said as he smiled, "but Emily, you don't even have a high school diploma, yet. How are you going to support this baby on minimum wage? If you move into the guest house, you can save on rent."

"We're not saying you shouldn't work," Amy said, "in fact, I think it's great that you want to. Jack and I know a lot of people who could help you get an office job, if you want. It probably wouldn't pay much more than minimum wage, but at least you wouldn't be on your feet all day."

Emily thought it all sounded very reasonable. These people were basically solving every problem she had, before she had even started thinking about how to solve them. Amy had even given Emily the name of her OB/GYN.

"What do you think, Emily?" Chloe asked anxiously.

"I think it sounds very generous, thank you." However, she had to add her own conditions. "If you're going to buy me a car, though, I want to pay for gas and insurance myself. And for the repairs, too," she added as an afterthought.

Austin's parents agreed. They kept on talking for a little while and decided that Emily should move in as soon as possible so she had time to get settled before she got too tired from the pregnancy., While Austin took her to visit the guest house, their parents were left together to talk. Her mother seemed to have taken it all in stride, and Emily was glad for the overnight shift she had taken. Her mother was nothing if not adaptable and Emily admired her for that.

Emily was happily surprised when she walked into her new living quarters. It was slightly smaller than the apartment they currently lived in, and had only one bedroom. It was fully furnished with mostly light wooden pieces, and the small kitchen was perfect for one person, or one person with a baby. There was a full bath as well as a small living room area, complete with an entertainment system.

"We'll get rid of that," Austin said, gesturing to the five or so boxes on the living room floor. "Also, we can set up a desk for you to do your homework. And you're welcome in the house anytime."

Emily nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Em?" Austin seemed concerned.

"Oh, sorry! Yeah, everything's great." She moved slowly to the bedroom and saw the full bed, the two bedside tables and the large armoire. "It's perfect, thanks."

"I thought you could live here until the baby is born and until we get used to taking care of him, and then we can find our own apartment. Something with more bedrooms."

"Him?" Emily said with a smile. "What makes you think it's not a girl?"

"Well, it seems better than calling him _it._"

"Alright then, you call it _him_, and I'll call it _her_. That way there's no gender bias."

Austin laughed. "Sounds fair."

Just then, a knock sounded on the glass door. Emily saw a young girl, about her age, with long brown hair. She was wearing black shorts and a bright pink t-shirt that said, _it's not pms, it's you_ on it. Emily smiled.

The girl walked in and automatically started talking. "Hi! I'm Lindsay, and I'm so glad to meet you! When Austin said he'd gotten a girl pregnant, I thought he was stupid, but then I found out it was you and then I thought he was _really_ stupid. I mean, you have such a great story, coming from practically nothing, and you have all this raw talent, and anyways, we're going to be practically sisters-in-law! I've always wanted a sister, this is so exciting! I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!"

Austin rolled his eyes. "Emily, this is my younger sister Lindsay. And yes, she's always this annoying."

"Don't listen to him, Emily. Look, I have to go, but maybe we can hang out this week, get to know each other? We could go to the mall; I have to buy a dress for the school dance in two weeks."

"Sure," Emily answered as she nodded. "But I'm not really a fashion expert."

"Doesn't matter. I'll get your number from Austin, okay? Alright, bye!" She waved and she was gone.

Emily laughed. "She sure has a lot of energy."

"You have no idea." Austin answered, and they walked back to the main house.

Chloe told Emily it was time to go home for dinner, so they headed for their car, but Austin held Emily back.

"Listen, Sasha said he wouldn't tell anyone, and I think we should tell everyone at the gym ourselves. They should hear it from us. Do you think you can handle that?"

Emily sighed. "I guess we don't really have a choice. They must be asking questions since I haven't been going to practise."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning passed by very quickly for Emily. She called the OB/GYN Austin's mother had recommended and there was a cancellation that morning, so she was able to squeeze Emily in. Chloe wanted to go with her but Emily wanted to go by herself. So she dropped her mother off at the salon and headed for the clinic.

The minute she saw Dr. Kinsey she instantly liked her. She was in her early forties, blonde with blue eyes, and rather short. But her smile was warm, and Emily read no judgement in her eyes as they went over the pre-exam interview. She was very patient and let Emily ask all of her questions, and gave her a month's worth of pamphlets to read. The most awkward part of the appointment was explaining Austin's role in the pregnancy. Emily ended up telling a little lie to make it easier and crossed her fingers that Austin wouldn't mind.

After her appointment, she headed straight for the gym. Austin had suggested telling everyone during the lunch break so that they all could have some time to process before returning to practise. Emily was the last one there and saw that everyone had gathered on the lawn in front of the gym. Even Kaylie was there, which made Emily sad for Austin. But she had hope that they would be able to overcome this obstacle and still manage to be together. It was Austin that had decided not to tell anyone, but maybe he would make an exception for Kaylie if he saw a chance for them to be in a relationship.

They all sat down in a circle on the ground, and it reminded Emily of Kindergarten and playing duck, duck, goose. Austin sat next to her, and everyone looked at them with a confused look on their face.

"What is it?" Lauren finally asked. "I don't have all day."

"Lauren," Payson interjected, "let them talk."

Emily gave her a strained smile. "I guess everyone's been wondering why I haven't been to practise."

"Are you off the national team for good?" Kaylie asked.

Emily nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, but it's not for the reason you think. I'm pregnant."

Jaws dropped, and an uncomfortable silence settled among the group. They all looked at each other, then at Emily, and finally at Austin.

"You don't look surprised," Kaylie said, looking straight at the tall gymnast.

Austin looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm the father," he declared without flinching, and Emily couldn't help but admire him for it. Payson's head snapped to Emily, looking even more confused.

Kaylie got up resolutely. "Well, at least now I don't have to feel guilty about kissing Damon anymore."

Emily flinched and could only stare at Kaylie's back as she walked back to her car.

"I guess," Lauren started, bringing Emily out of her funk, "if you're telling us, it means you're keeping the baby."

Emily nodded, not trusting her voice. It was harder than she thought, lying to her friends and disappointing them at the same time .

"So, you're just giving up your dream?" Payson asked. Max was sitting next to her, but still hadn't said anything. Austin had told her that he had decided to start training at The Rock with them.

"I'm not giving up; I'm just taking a break."

"You'll never be able to go back to the level that you are at right now. There aren't a lot of older gymnasts nowadays," Lauren added.

"Well, Sasha said he would help me after the baby was born. And my doctor said I can still train, I just can't do any of the high impact stuff."

"All of gymnastics is high impact!" Lauren exclaimed.

"I know," Emily replied impatiently, "but I can at least stay in shape."

There was another minute of silence, and then Austin looked at his watch. "We should get back to practise," he declared.

Everyone got up and started walking back to the gym. Emily expected Payson to come to her, but she only looked at her curiously and followed Max and Lauren. Austin held her back.

"Did the doctor really say that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I saw her this morning. She said everything's fine, but I have to start putting on weight as soon as possible, since I have practically no body fat."

"Good, that's good."

Emily looked at the ground, shy about telling him what she told the doctor about them. "I lied about something, and please don't be mad. I was in a really awkward position."

"What did you say?" He looked at her, amused.

"I told her you and I were together. I didn't know how to explain that you aren't the father, but you wanted to claim the baby as yours even though we aren't a couple. So I told her we were. Are you mad?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, of course not."

"If you decide you want to be with Kaylie, then we can tell the doctor the truth."

"Emily, I won't change my mind. And I don't think Kaylie's going to forgive me so easily."

"She could, if you told her the truth."

"Stop doubting me! I know what I'm doing."

"But you don't have to!" Emily almost yelled.

They were prevented from continuing their conversation when Sasha walked up to them.

"Everything okay, you two?" He asked, concerned.

"We're fine," Austin snapped, upset at being interrupted.

"You should get back to practise," Sasha told him. "Emily, I've started a program for you and I have time to go over it with you now if you want."

Emily swallowed her anger and faked a smile. "Sure, now sounds good."


End file.
